Bib construction



Oct. 29, 1 968 S, L ND R ET AL 3,407,407

BIB CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 22, 1966 0010!?55 SMITHHOZZ/I/YDER9L IIII In 0. s. HOLLANDER E 3,407,407

Oct. 29, 1968 BIB CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 22, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTORS 301mm 547/7 Ham/m5? 9 /7/R//)/7 .s/Ncm/R .B/IMER United StatesPatent 3,407,407 BIB CONSTRUCTION Dolores Smith Hollander, Interlaken,and Miriam Smclair Bander, Asbury Park, N.J., assignors to Blum andCompany, Inc., Deal, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Sept. 22,1966, Ser. No. 581,233 1 Claim. (Cl. 2-49) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Aninfants bib having a body with tie means for tying the body around theneck and body of the infant. A pocket is disposed across the bottom ofthe body, on the outside thereof, to catch droppings. Means is providedfor stiffening the pocket to keep it in extended operative position, thestiffening means including a hem along the top of the pocket and a stripinside said hem. Means is also provided for stiffening the body of thepocket, which latter means includes a frame embedded in the body of thepocket, the frame having opposed, radial and angular plastic strips.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structuralrefinements in bibs, land more particularly to an improved bibconstruction having means for preventing not only the soiling of apersons clothes during eating, but of saving a large quantity of foodwhich is normally spilled by an individual during the course of eating.

As is well known, infants when learning to feed themselves, owing totheir lack of skill in handling eating implements, usually spill a largeamount of food when inserting the implement into the mouth. This foodruns down the front outer surface of the bib, and where large quantitiesof food are so spilled, incomplete protection is afforded by the bib inthat the spilled food runs past the bib to soil the infants clothesthereunder, and the floor or furniture upon which the child is seated.Additionally the food itself is made unsanitary so that it cannot bereclaimed for subsequent feeding.

Similarly, an elderly person or physically restricted person mayencounter the forementioned problems of that of the infant when eating.

When dining, a bib is normally provided upon having particular foods toprotect the clothes of the person.

It is therefore among the principal objects of the present invention toprovide an improved form of bib construction, in which the abovementioned disadvantageous results have been substantially eliminated.

Another object of the invention is to provide an irnproved bibconstruction in which means in the form of a curved pocket has beenincorporated into the forward portion of the same, which structure isadapted to catch and retain food spilled by the person, the same beingcapable of being reclaimed in an edible condition.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bib construction inwhich the above mentioned means may be so shaped and disposed as toenable it to catch drippings accumulating over a relatively wide area onthe forward surface of the bib.

A feature of the invention lies in the fact that the novel pocketstructure is so situated as to fall under the action of gravity to anopened position when the device is donned by the wearer, it beingunnecessary to adjust the structure, except when emptying the same.

Other advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity ofconstruction, in its pleasing appearance and in its adaptability toeconomical manufacture.

Broadly, the invention comprises a bib construction having an elongatedbody portion with a neck portion and means for tying the body around thewaist and neck of 3,4014% Patented Oct. 29, 1968 the person. Ahorizontally disposed forwardly projecting pocket is formed from thematerial of the body portion, the pocket having a stiff upper edge.

For further comprehension of the invention and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings and to the appended claim in which the variousnovel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a bib construction Fmbodying theinvention illustrated in position on an inant.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the bib construction per se.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the bib construction takenon the plane of the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane of the line 44 ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the plane of theline 55 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5a is a view similar to FIG. 5 of a modified form of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of a bib construction embodyinganother modified form of the invention, parts being shown broken away.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane of the line 77 ofFIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the stiffening frame shown in FIG. 6.

Referring now in detail to the various views of the drawings, theinvention as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, inclusive, consists of a bibconstruction which is designated generally by the reference character 10and embodies in its construction the usual upwardly extendingsubstantially rectangular shaped body portion 12 provided at its upperend with a neck receiving recess 14 and with an adjacent pair of armopenings 16 and 18. A pair of neck encircling tapes or ribbons 20 issecured to the opposite ends of the neck receiving recess 14, whichtapes or ribbons are adapted to be tied into a bowed knot 22 at the backof the neck of the infant. In addition, a pair of waist encircling tapesor ribbons 24 are secured to each opposite side edge of the lowerportion of the body portion 12 as indicated at 26, these tapes orribbons being adapted to be tied into a knotted bow at the back of theWaist of the infant.

The body portion 12 is preferably formed from a durable, moisture-proof,washable material such as a suitable synthetic resin in planar form. Thefree edges of the body portion and neck recess are preferably coveredwith an edge binding 22 which may be either stitched into position orintegrated by heat-sealing means.

The essence of novelty in the present invention resides in the provisionof a horizontally disposed forwardly projecting food retaining pocketstructure 28 which is preferably formed from the same material as themain body portion 12 of the bib construction. The pocket structure isformed by binding the bottom free edge of the body portion by means of alooped tape 32 secured to the bottom edge of the body portion by a rowof stitching 34. The tape is stiffened by means of a plastic stiffeningstrip 36 extending therethrough. The material of the body portion isslitted from each corner thereof upwardly for approximately six inchesand then slightly inwardly for a couple of inches to permit the materialof the body portion to be turned upon itself at the ends of the slits,thereby forming a flange 30, the ends of the flange being secured to theopposite side edges of the body portion 12 by rows of stitching 38. Thisgives the pocket structure a pocket-shaped configuration, and as 3. maybe seen from FIG. 1, the pocket structure extends the full width of thebody portion, and it has been found that a height of approximately sixinches is satisfactory, although a greater or lesser height may beemployed to conform to the size of the particular bib construction.

The bib construction is donned in a normal manner, the arms of theinfant being inserted through the openings 16 and 18 after which thetapes or ribbons 20 are tied behind the neck. The pocket structure 28will normal- 1y fall to an open position as shown in FIG. 1, owing tothe tendency of the material forming the hemmed edge 32 to sag under theaction of gravity. With the pocket structure in open position, when theinfant'spills food while attempting to insert the same into its mouth,the same will strike the front of the body portion 12 and fall under theaction of gravity into the pocket structure.

In FIG. 5, a modified form of means for stiffening the edge of theflange is shown. Herein the plastic flange 30' is shown turned uponitself forming a hem 40, the hem being retained in shape by a row ofstitching 42. The hem may however be retained in shape by heat andpressure as indicated at 44 in FIG. 5A. Inside the hem 40, there is apair of superposed plastic strips 36', 36', the strips being encased infabric loops 46, 46 formed by folding a strip of fabric upon itself andstitching the fabric strip at its ends by rows of stitching 48 andintermediate its ends by a row of stitching 50.

In FIGS. 6 to 8, inclusive, a bib construction 10a is shown withmodified form of means for retaining the pocket structure 28a in openposition. In this bib construction 10a, instead of a pair of stiffeningstrips in the hem 32a, such as the strip 36 of FIG. 1 or the strips 36'of FIGS. 5 and 6, a stiffening frame unit 52 is embedded in the flange30a. In bib construction 10a, the flange 30a is formed by turning thematerial of the body portion 12a upon itself and fastening its free endedge to the inner surface of the body portion 12a by heat and pressureas indicated at 53. The flange 30a is thus formed with outer and innerwalls 54 and 56, respectively, leaving a space 58 therebetween. Thestiffening frame unit 52 is encased in the space 58. This stiffeningunit includes an elongated rectangular shaped slightly curved strip 60of suitable semi-rigid plastic material. Shorter strips are formedintegrally with one long edge on the strip 60 midway its ends, saidstrips radiating from the edge of strip 60. A pair of these strips 62,62 radiate at an acute angle to the strip 60 and have curled ends 64,64. The strips 62, 62 are opposed to each other. Another of saidintegral strips, strip 66 extends at right angles to the strip 60 and isprovided with a curled end 68. When the unit is in position as shown inFIGS. 6 and 7, the elongated strip 60 is positioned inside the top edge70 of the flange 30a, the strips 62, 62 radiate toward the corners ofthe pocket structure 28a, the curled ends of the strips being seated insaid corners. The other strip 66 curls around the center of the pocketstructure giving the bottom of the pocket structure a curved shape asbest seen in FIG. 7.

In all other respects, the bib construction 10a is similar to bibconstruction 10 and similar reference characters are used to indicatesimilar parts.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of ourinvention, it is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to theprecise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes andmodifica tions may be made within the scope of the invention as definedin the appended claim.

We claim:

1. A bib construction comprising a vertically elongated rectangular bodyportion of flexible plastic material adapted to be positioned on thechest of a person said body portion having a recess for the neck of aperson at the top end thereof and having side openings for the arms of aperson, a forwardly projecting pocket structure formed at the lower endof the body portion on the outer surface thereof, said pocket structureextending from side to side of the body portion, said pocket structureincluding an upstanding flange having its end edges fastened to thesides of the body, means for stiffening the top end edge of the flangefor retaining the pocket structure in open position, means for tying thebody portion around the neck of the person, and means for tying the bodyportion around the neck of the person, and means for tying the bodyportion around the waist of the person, the means for stiifening the topend edge of the flange for retaining the pocket structure in openposition includes a stiffening frame unit having an elongatedrectangular flexible plastic strip with curled ends, a pair of opposedstrips integral with said elongated strip radiating at an angle acute tothe plane of the body of the longated plastic strip, and anotherintegral strip radiating at right angles to the plane of the body of theelongated plastic strip, said flange having spaced front and rear wallswith the stiffening frame unit in the space between the walls, saidelongated strip extending along the top edge of the flange, the opposedintegral strips extending into the corners of the pocket midway itsends, said latter strip extending to the bottom of the pocket in curvedformation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 55 6,930 3/ 1896 Janowitz 2260.l

563,644 7/ 1896 Birney 2--49 615,293 12/1898 Maier 2-49 677,010 6/1901Ziller 249 879,124 2/ 1908 Thompson 249 1,591,721 7/ 1926 Melvin 249 1,592,283 7/ 1926 McKenzie 249 2,672,614 3 1954 Zimmerman et al 2-492,767,403 10/ 1956 Givens 249 2,949,611 8/ 1960 Wilkaitis 249 3,010,11111/1961 Ralph 249 FOREIGN PATENTS 707,661 4/1954 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

A. R. GUEST, Assistant Examiner.

